27Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Two top female skiers announce break in their careers for medical reasons-just weeks before the Olympics. What’s going on and what’s to be done?

Two top female skiers announce break in their careers for medical reasons-just weeks before the Olympics. What’s going on and what’s to be done?

Leaders, Newsfeed
The Sunday news came as a bit of a shock https://www.instagram.com/p/CX8Ntt8LHnw/?utm_medium=copy_link And then again it didn't - Oestberg's struggles with her form & health were well publicised. Even still, those troubles seemed to be behind her. Ingvild came strong 8th in 10kF in Davos mere two weeks ago, just 28 seconds behind Therese Johaug. Since the Beijing 2022 distance courses seem to clearly favor light yet strong and technical athletes, many felt the ex-World Cup winner's place in the Norwegian line-up is all but guaranteed. Not so, alas A little less noticed by the media but nonetheless shocking was a similar announcement earlier last week by one of the most promising young Italian athletes: Francesca Franchi informed her fans via Instagram that doctors told her to stop competing, effective immediately.…
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25Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Max Volkov: no other team in the world has as much high-tech equipment to improve quality of the training process as we do in Team China

Max Volkov: no other team in the world has as much high-tech equipment to improve quality of the training process as we do in Team China

Leaders, Newsfeed
Max Volkov is not a household name among xcski fans the world over - yet. But the coaching prowess of a 31 year old from Moscow region is very well known in a tight circle of top specialists. No eyebrows were raised earlier this year when Volkov swapped the job of Alex Bolshunov's assistant coach to that of the national team of China, distance. [caption id="attachment_18958" align="alignnone" width="604"] Max Volkov and Alex Bolshunov at the FIS World Cup [/caption] When you read his (rare) interview below, keep in mind that Max is totally the opposite to someone given to exaggeration and hyperbolic assessments i.e. when he says " we've got best equipment" it probably means something like " the stuff we've got is leagues ahead of anything Norway, Sweden and…
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23Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Master of nebulas and galaxies: Francesco De Fabiani and his astrophotography

Master of nebulas and galaxies: Francesco De Fabiani and his astrophotography

Newsfeed, Trivia
==================================== Francesco 's astrophotography kit: -Celestron 1400 Edge HD -ZWO ASI2600MC-Color(cooled) -SONY A7SII (astromodified) ===================================== Starry, starry night... We found the right spot to talk: Aurora Borealis was raging in the night skies of Northern Finland even if our conversation was about much deeper space. Introducing Francesco De Fabiani, one the leaders of the Italian team - and a keen photographer: "....The astrophotography is my hobby. It all began some 1.5 years ago - and the Covid pandemics was the main reason: I had to styr at home for a month, there was a total lockdown in our part of Italy and I was looking for something to occupy myself. I was always passionate about photography but astrophotography was something entirely new. I started by buying a telescope, the type…
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20Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Goodbye, Dresden!

Goodbye, Dresden!

Leaders, Newsfeed
Es ist vorbei. The FIS World Cup just said goodbye to the great city of Dresden after five seasons. It was a valiant and in many ways interesting try. A brainchild of local television personalities, from the start it was set up to be a high quality visual product. It was actively supported by local authorities - first and foremost by Saxony's prime minister Michael Kretschmer - we remember how he used to come to expect the readiness of the snow tracks and thank the volunteers personally at the beginning. It had a budget to envy, being supported through tourism promotion funds and by local businesses. It had a dedicated crew of people working to make it happen all year around ( most organising committees work part time) [caption id="attachment_18914"…
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16Dec 2021 by The Daily Skier Editorial
Let’s talk about Zihi. Because their motto is Best training plan is one you can do – and we dig that attitude

Let’s talk about Zihi. Because their motto is Best training plan is one you can do – and we dig that attitude

Newsfeed, Training & Outfitting
...So, you came home from work totally exhausted and instead of planned 20k out in a rain you just want to eat Pringles in front of TV? Yes, you can! Because your coach adopts to your current moods and desires - yet promises to prepare you for your race the best way possible. Sounds too good to be true,right? But that's what folks who are behind a startup called Zihi are promising - or so we understood. Except that the " coach " here is a fancy algorithm, utilising the latest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML). Down below you find a record of a long remote chat with the guys behind Zihi ( they are based in Madison, Wisconsin). We are not big fans of long interviews…
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